Preview: 9JKL (CBS) – Just a plain-old-funny sitcom?

By Daniel Redford on September 12, 2017

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9JKL is a multi-camera comedy that revolves around Josh (Mark Feuerstein, Royal Pains) a man who moves back home to apartment 9K in the building he grew up in, sandwiched between his parents’ (Elliott Gould, F.R.I.E.N.D.S., and Linda Lavin, Sean Saves The World) apartment 9J and apartment 9L, where his brother (David Walton, About A Boy), sister-in-law (Liza Lapira, Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life) and their baby live.

Created by and starring Feuerstein, the series follows its main character as he tries to set boundaries for his intrusive but well-meaning family. Matt Murray (Rookie Blue) and Albert Tsai (Trophy Wife) co-star as the building’s concierge and a witty kid who lives in the building.

Many critics despise ‘dumb’ multi-camera comedies like 9JKL, and while it is true that it is not exactly the highest form of art, I think there will always be a market for uncomplicated and unpretentious sitcoms to unwind with. They just need to bring that plain-old-funny vibe that classical sitcoms brought. 9JKL comes a long way with its family-with-no-boundaries tropes. Gould and Lavin are doing a good job as the intrusive parents, and I’ve been a fan of child actor Albert Tsai ever since he starred in Trophy Wife.